Author: Fatimah Idera

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that the government’s budget will be delivered on Wednesday 26 November, setting the stage for tough choices on tax and spending. The statement will outline how the government intends to fund essential services such as the NHS, schools, policing and defence, while balancing strained public finances and trying to reassure investors. Reeves told the BBC that her priority was to turn the economy around by investing in growth and ensuring working people “have the tools, training and opportunities to fulfil their potential.” She confirmed the Budget will focus on investment and reform while sticking to…

Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner after she admitted underpaying tax on her second home. Rayner confirmed reports that she failed to pay the full tax owed on her Hove property, a shortfall estimated at £40,000. The Labour deputy leader has since referred herself to the government’s ethics adviser and said she had even considered resigning. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Badenoch challenged Sir Keir: “She has admitted she underpaid tax. So why is she still in office?” She accused Starmer of hypocrisy, saying: “I’m not sure we’d hear all…

The UK government is preparing to introduce a law that will prevent anyone under the age of 16 in England from buying energy drinks . Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, and Prime are those the ban would apply across shops, cafés, restaurants, vending machines, and online sales. Research suggests that up to a third of children in the UK consume energy drinks every week, despite many supermarkets already operating a voluntary age restriction. Read also: England resident doctors demand 29% pay rise amid renewed strike threats Also, some products contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee, with excess…

As part of efforts to reduce the number of migrants housed in hotels, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has revealed that the government is exploring the use of industrial and military sites, including warehouses as alternative accommodation for asylum seekers. During an interview, Cooper confirmed that warehouses are one of the things being looked at as the government ramps up plans to phase out the use of costly hotel accommodation.  This development comes ahead of a cross-government ministerial meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, focused on expediting the closure of asylum hotels.  A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed…

Britain’s government bond markets came under renewed strain on Tuesday, with yields on long-dated debt rising to their highest levels in decades and the pound weakening. These challenges facing Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares for the autumn budget. The yield on 30-year gilts surged to 5.723%, the highest since 1998 signalling higher borrowing costs for the UK. The 10-year gilt yield, closely watched by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for long-term forecasts, also climbed to its highest level since January. Officials insisted the latest moves were part of a wider global trend, as yields jumped in the US,…

A senior Reform UK figure is demanding that the Ukrainian flag be taken down from outside Warwickshire County Council’s headquarters, newly released correspondence has revealed. The row comes after previous disputes over the Progress Pride flag, which the party also wanted removed. Over the summer, three flags flew above the council offices in Warwick: the Progress Pride, the Ukrainian national flag, and the county banner. While the rainbow emblem was lowered once Pride Month ended, the Ukrainian flag has remained in place ahead of a formal council vote this week. Council leader Cllr George Finch has argued that only the…

Sir Keir Starmer has reorganised his Downing Street team as he attempts to reset his premiership after a turbulent first year in office. The changes follow a difficult summer for Labour, marked by criticism over immigration policy, welfare reforms, and cuts to winter fuel payments. Recent polls have shown the party slipping behind Reform UK, while some Labour backbenchers have accused Number 10 of weak communication and poor engagement with MPs. The previously Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones has been appointed as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, a new role that will make him oversee the delivery…

The UK government has issued a strong warning to international students: leave the country once your visa expires or face deportation. In a new crackdown on overstayers, the Home Office has for the first time begun sending direct text and email messages to students whose visas are expiring. So far, 10,000 students have received the alerts, with tens of thousands more expected to be contacted in the coming months. The warning is blunt: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.” Authorities have also cautioned that asylum…

Britain’s borrowing costs have surged more sharply than any other G7 nation, following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s recent reshuffle of his economic team. On Monday, the yield on 30-year UK government bonds (gilts) climbed to 5.64%, its highest level in 27 years. This spike in yields effectively the interest rate the government must pay to borrow or reflects growing market concern about the UK’s fiscal direction, especially amid expectations of higher government spending and tax increases. The sharp increase followed Sir Keir’s appointment of Darren Jones as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Jones, formerly deputy to Chancellor Rachel Reeves,…

A protester involved in ongoing demonstrations against migrant hotels in Epping, Essex, was arrested after she climbed onto a council building and unfurled a Union flag. The incident occurred on Sunday evening amid escalating tensions following a court ruling allowing the continued use of local hotels to house asylum seekers. The woman, an organiser of the protests but not publicly named was removed from the first-floor ledge of the Epping Forest District Council offices by Essex Police. Video footage posted online shows her holding the flag before being escorted away by officers, as bystanders shouted “She’s a woman!” and “What…